EU and MEPs react to outcome of COP30 climate conference MEPs have given their reaction to the outcome of the COP30 summit in Brazil, which ended without a deal on cutting fossil fuels.
The two week meeting, which over-ran but concluded at the weekend, failed to secure new pledges to cut fossil fuels after running over time for more than 18 hours The deal acknowledges the consensus to “transition away from fossil fuels” – but the words themselves have been omitted from the final text.
The US president Donald Trump did not attend the conference, much to the disappointment of its Brazilian hosts. The Renew Europe group in the EU Parliament was quick to respond to the outcome, saying it “welcomes” the agreement reached today at COP30 in Belém.
While the deal confirms that global cooperation on climate action remains possible, it also exposes the gaps that must be closed if the world is to keep 1.5 °C within reach. RE says,
“Europe now carries a heightened responsibility to push ambition forward and build the alliances needed for real progress.”
Comment came from Emma Wiesner, a Renew Europe MEP (Sweden, Centerpartiet) and shadow rapporteur on the COP30 resolution, and Brigitte van den Berg, Renew Europe MEP (Netherlands, D66).
They issued a statement on their return from Belém. It says,
“The Paris Agreement is alive and the fact that the parties managed to agree today is a very important signal.”
Nevertheless, the agreed text is a disappointment for everyone who is fighting for the climate. We still do not have a clear global roadmap to phase out fossil fuel.
So despite progress in the smaller negotiating rooms, the result today is far from sufficient.
“Unfortunately, we still see that the oil countries dominate the global climate agenda. And US absence overshadows the efforts of the willing parties.”
van den Berg added,
“Now lays a great responsibility, not least on the EU Member States in Council, to show more leadership and cohesion for the next climate conferences.”
“The EU needs to show much more unity and more ambition than what we did in Belém. Our next chance to make real progress is the announced initiative taken by Colombia and the Netherlands, to organise the first international conference in April 2026 on transitioning away from fossil fuels”
And there are also other positive results.
It is very positive that COP30 has agreed to support tripling of climate adaptation — a clear request from many developing countries in the Global South.
“Concluding, even though climate action again takes a step, it is still too slow and too little. It is now up to us as EU to keep building partnerships with the willing countries, the willing entrepreneurs and people, to do what it takes to transition.”
Further reaction to the meeting in Brazil comes from Dutch MEP Bas Eickhout, president of the Greens/EFA Group and part of the European Parliament delegation to COP30.
He commented,
“In the end, there is a compromise, which in these extremely difficult geopolitical times shouldn’t be taken for granted.”
“We welcome the commitment to triple international funding for climate adaptation.”
The world has taken a small step in the right direction today, but it would be overly generous to call this a success: A global commitment to phase-out fossil fuels remains ambiguous.
Ten years after that Paris agreement this is insufficient.
“This year’s process was overly chaotic, slow, and repeatedly blocked by fossil interests, which doesn’t bode well for next year.”
The EU was initially too timid but in the end played a constructive role, which it needs to strengthen in future. Diplomatic efforts on behalf of the EU, including promoting Mercosur despite its climate-harming potential, didn’t pan out.
The EU cannot act alone and must heavily invest in international diplomacy. The MEP went on, “This could have been the COP that agreed to the phase out of fossil fuels but the Saudi, Indian and other governments held the world back.
We cannot allow global efforts to end the use of climate killing fuels to be thwarted by oil giants and fossil fuel addicts. Discussions on the phase out of fossil fuels will now continue through further international dialogue and the EU must throw its full political weight and push for a phase out.
“Thousands of activists, indigenous communities, and young people have shown that they are ready to fight for their future. World leaders must reflect this courage going forward. We are still on course for more than 1.5 degrees of global warming and this will be disastrous with more floods, more fires, more droughts and more deaths. Without a fossil phase-out and real ambition, it’s people across the globe who will pay the price, with their lives and their futures,”
said the veteran Euro deputy. From the EU side, Council president Antonio Costa noted,
“Natural and man-made disasters are happening more and more often. They are increasing in intensity and having devastating consequences worldwide.”
Costa added,
“The threat to our communities, our environment and our prosperity is very real. Take the case of wildfires. In 2025 alone, the equivalent of one third of land size of Argentina has burned down.”
The Portuguese official went on,
“The EU strongly supports the approach, priorities and efforts of the South-African Presidency of the G20 on Disaster Risk Reduction – the ex-post approach.”
Yes, Climate change is real.
And together with biodiversity loss and pollution, it can still be stopped. Despite progress, global pledges to cut emissions are not sufficient to limit the rise in temperatures to 1.5 degrees warming.
“The EU is a global leader in this effort and we are staying the course – fully committed to the Paris Agreement. A couple of weeks ago, we committed to an ambitious intermediate goal of reducing emissions by 90% by 2040.”
Costa insisted,
“The EU will remain a trusted partner in supporting the countries most exposed to climate change. Last year, the EU provided €31.7 billion from public sources.And we mobilised €11 billion of private finance to support developing countries to reduce emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. As union of values, we will continue to support this agenda.”
“But,” he warned,
“we cannot do this alone: we invite all G20 members to join us in taking bold, collective action to secure a sustainable future for all.”
An EU Commission spokesman, also speaking on Sunday, said,
“The European Union stood united for strong climate action and the Paris Agreement goals at conference. While aiming for more ambition, EU negotiators worked with partners to secure an agreement that recognises the need to keep the 1.5C limit of global average temperatures within reach, and to transition away from fossil fuels.”
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